Texas Rangers Blog

Examining ESPN host Colin Cowherd’s Cliff Lee “facts”

Our website today posted a story that had some comments from ESPN blowhard talk show host Colin Cowherd changing his stance about his early-week assertion that Cliff Lee was “mailing it in” for the Rangers and that “he hates Texas.” Cowherd said that he’s sure Lee wants to win games, then posited some “facts” to back up his assertions.
“Fact: He loved pitching in Philadelphia and was awesome,” Cowherd said. “He has always pitched well in New York and has said he likes it. “He’s elite, fact. He has also, fact, never pitched well in Texas. Fact, he’s not there pitching well again in Texas. Fact. He’s in a contract year. When the deal came down that he was going to the Yankees, he was completely excited, according to three different scources at this network. Fact, against the Yankees this year, who he could end up pitching for, he’s been excellent. Fact, he’s been horrible against Baltimore, the worst team in the sport. Now you tell me, coincidence?”

Well, before I render my verdict, let’s go over some of these “facts”

• “Fact: He loved pitching in Philadelphia and was awesome. He has always pitched well in New York and has said he likes it.”

Awesomeness is not a fact. It is an opinion. As far as pitching in New York, he is 4-2 with a 4.46 ERA at old and new Yankee Stadiums. His career ERA is 3.86. You can decide whether that qualifies as “always pitching well” in New York qualifies.

• “He’s elite, fact.”

Ditto for eliteness. It’s not a fact. It’s an opinion. And I think any baseball person asked about whether a guy who “mails it in” against sub-.500 teams is “elite,” would use a word other than “elite” in his description.

• “He has also, fact, never pitched well in Texas.”

Not so sure. ERA-wise, his overall numbers in Rangers Ballpark are out of line with his career mark of 3.86. He is 5-4 with a 5.72 ERA. But that ERA is marred by three horrid starts with fully explainable extenuating circumstances. They were his first start in the park, an Opening Day start in 2009 and his first start a day after being acquired by the Rangers. Take those three out of the mix and he’s 5-1 with a 4.13 ERA. It’s fact his numbers aren’t as impressive in Arlington as in other places, but it’s also a fact that he’s spent the majority of his career in home parks that were more conducive to pitcher-friendly statistics (Cleveland and Seattle).

• “Fact, he’s not there pitching well again in Texas.”

Not a fact. This season, he’s made five starts in Arlington, four with the Rangers and one with Seattle. He is 3-2 with a 3.02 ERA in the park. If that’s “not pitching well,” give me a staff full of those guys.

• “Fact. He’s in a contract year.”

This is indeed a fact.

• “When the deal came down that he was going to the Yankees, he was completely excited, according to three different sources at this network. Fact, against the Yankees this year, who he could end up pitching for, he’s been excellent.”

This may be a fact, if Cliff Lee says it and then Cowherd cites that. But, anything reported as sourced, is only at that point, an allegation. Also, might this offer an explanation for his excitement: He was reportedly being traded from Seattle, a last-place team on the verge of firing its manager, to New York, with the best record in the AL and the defending World Champs.

Against the Yankees this year, he is 1-0 with a 4.11 ERA. Again, higher than his career ERA and higher than his season ERA. Not sure this qualifies as a fact.

• “Fact, he’s been horrible against Baltimore, the worst team in the sport.”

You can draw your own conclusions about his horribleness against Baltimore. In May, he went to Baltimore and allowed the Orioles a run on eight hits in 7.1 innings. That’s not a horrible outing. The second was a complete game loss in which he allowed the Orioles six runs a day after he was traded to the Rangers. A complete game, in this day and age, is never horrible. For Lee, however, six runs is horrible. There can be no doubt that his outing on Saturday was horrible. It was his shortest outing of the year (5.2 innings) and it included the most homers he’s ever allowed in a game (four). Those last two statements I just made are, by the way, facts.

About the Orioles being the worst team in the sport, this again falls under the headline of “opinion.” Nobody doubts the Orioles are not very good, but they do not have the worst record in the game. That belongs to Pittsburgh, which would, according to most scales, make the Pirates the “worst” team in the sport.

• “Now you tell me, coincidence?”

Yes, Colin. It’s a coincidence that he pitched poorly on Saturday at Baltimore. To suggest that he pitched poorly in Baltimore is in some way part of some grander conspiracy to get out of Texas and sign with New York is, well, just indefensible. But that’s not a fact, that’s just my opinion.